Various cord tightening or fastening devices are known, such as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 307,806; 2,164,123; 4,665,590 and 4,788,755. The devices disclosed in these patents utilize a housing wherein passage means are delineated for the passage of rope sections. A wedging element is secured to the housing and disposed between the passages and displaceable to wedge the rope sections in their passages when the ropes are pulled in a predetermined direction. The basic principle of the construction of such fastening device is illustrated by the sample design of U.S. Pat. No. 307,806 and, as can be seen, the wedging element is spring-biased against rope sections passing through a housing to grip the rope sections within channels when the ropes are pulled in the biasing direction. When the ropes are pulled in the opposite direction, the wedging element is displaced against a spring force, thereby releasing its engagement with the rope sections.
The present invention relates to an improved type of such fastening device to releasably secure rope-like elements.
A disadvantage of the prior art devices is that in order to engage the rope sections with the fastener, it is necessary to thread the ends of the ropes through channels or passages formed in the fastener housing, These channels are slightly larger than the cross-section of the ropes and this poses difficulty when the ends of the ropes are fibrillated. The threading thus becomes very difficult and often impossible without having to cut a section of rope. Another disadvantage of such fasteners is that the rope wedging element is secured within the housing and causes obstructions to the placement of the rope end sections within the channels. Another disadvantage is that these fasteners are difficult to separate and repair, have limited uses, and some of these are expensive to construct.